As Mr Moran opined, the Government can no longer afford to "subsidise" the individual choices of people who choose to live in rural areas and he had some strong words for those current TDs who have been open in their desire to bag some goodies for their own constituencies.

During his four-year term at the Department of Finance, Mr Moran was one of the most powerful figures in the country and was perhaps the most influential non-politician at a time when the country was in serious crisis, so he's certainly a man who should be listened to, even if many people won't like what they hear.

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